Shloka 20
तन्मे कथयते मन्द शृणु वाक््यं दुरासदम्,“मूर्ख उलूक! अब तू मेरी कही हुई दुःसह बातें सुन और समस्त राजाओंकी मण्डलीमें सूतपुत्र कर्ण और अपने दुरात्मा पिता शकुनिके सामने दुर्योधनको सुना देना --
tan me kathayate manda śṛṇu vākyam durāsadam | “mūrkha ulūka! adya tvaṃ mayoktaṃ duḥsahaṃ vacaḥ śṛṇu, sarvarājamaṇḍalyāṃ sūtaputraṃ karṇaṃ ca tava durātmānaṃ pitaraṃ śakuniṃ ca puraskṛtya duryodhanaṃ śrāvaya—”
Sañjaya dit : «À présent, écoute, ô esprit obtus, mes paroles, difficiles à endurer. “Ulūka, insensé ! Entends ces propos insupportables que je prononce, puis, au sein de l’assemblée des rois, va les proclamer à Duryodhana—devant Karṇa, le fils du cocher, et devant ton père scélérat, Śakuni.”»
संजय उवाच
Educational Q&A
The verse highlights how harsh, humiliating speech is deliberately used as a political weapon before war—showing the ethical decline (adharma) where pride and provocation replace restraint, truthfulness, and conciliatory counsel.
Sañjaya reports a command directed at Ulūka: he is to listen to a severe message and then publicly deliver it to Duryodhana in the kings’ assembly, specifically in the presence of Karṇa and Śakuni—key supporters whose approval and influence matter in the Kaurava court.